20111225

Important Christmas message from the Pope

Delivered on
separate occasions, the two Christmas massages from 84-year-old Pope Benedict
XVI this year should indeed be read together.

At the
Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, he lamented that
Christmas has become an increasingly commercial celebration that obscures the
simplicity of the message of Christ's birth.

"Let us
ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season,” he
said. “And to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to
find true joy and true light."

And in his traditional
"Urbi et Orbi" (Latin for "to the city and the world") speech
from the central loggia of St. Peter's on Christmas Day, he prayed for famine,
flood and conflict victims from around the world.

These are
timely reminders for us during the festive time. For years, I have noticed that
there is an increasing inclination for many to see Christmas as an occasion for
pleasure seeking. The slogan of in a credit card advertisement by Hong Kong’s
largest bank, prompting the whole city to “Live, Shop, Play”, says it all. The
Pope reminds us not only to ponder the true meaning of Christmas but also to
think about and pray for the disadvantaged. On this holy day, let us reflect on
the reason for Jesus Christ assuming a human existence which began in the
simplest and most humble fashion.